About Me

"I don't want to drive up to the pearly gates in a shiny sports car, wearing beautifully, tailored clothes, my hair expertly coiffed, and with long, perfectly manicured fingernails. I want to drive up in a station wagon that has mud on the wheels from taking kids to scout camp. I want to be there with a smudge of peanut butter on my shirt from making sandwiches for a sick neighbors children. I want to be there with a little dirt under my fingernails from helping to weed someone's garden. I want to be there with children's sticky kisses on my cheeks and the tears of a friend on my shoulder. I want the Lord to know I was really here and that I really lived."
— Marjorie Pay Hinckley

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Home Improvements

Our latest adventure in remodeling....


So, key things to notice... coat closet on the right, horrible pink tile on the floor that is breaking apart, white painted stair landing and step


And then begins the transformation... bye bye closet and tile.

Yes, I let the kids help with some of the demo, and no, Emma's blood did not test high for lead.

We then tore out all of the existing wall to the studs and put up concrete board on the wall and on the floor. I sanded, then sanded, then stripped, then sanded the landing to get the white off.. idiots!



We then put up another wall that is 6' tall made of concrete board as well. There is a 2" gap at the bottom to allow full air circulation.
Here is an inside look at the wall. The concrete board plus the metal studs plus the second concrete board under the paint, make this a zero clearance wall.




Now for the latest... I stained the stair and landing... don't look too close, I couldn't get the white all off... grrr!!!


We put down much prettier tile on top of concrete board, so it won't break up when we walk on it.


We put tile on the fire wall, we wanted it to look more like stone.

Still a gap at the floor for air.
Close up of tile.




The finished product so far!


Next, wood trim on wall and floor, wood stove in and chimney put in! We are almost there!

And remember, this was our first time with anything tile related - I think we did just fine!


 
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